Mercado de Olhão

Olhão is the main fishing port of the Algarve and its market is two matching brick and iron halls built in 1916 on the waterfront facing the Ria Formosa, each with corner turrets. One is entirely fish: the day's landings from the Olhão fleet, laid on ice - sardines, tuna, sea bass, bream, octopus, cuttlefish, clams, cockles, razor shells and the rest, sold by weight with the sellers gutting to order. The other holds fruit, vegetables, meat, bread, cheese, dried figs, almonds and honey, with a Saturday market of clothes, plants and household goods spreading along the quay outside. It is a working market for a working town: Olhão is not a resort, it has a low-rise cubic architecture said to reflect North African contact, and the market functions as its centre rather than as an attraction.

What you actually see

• The two halls - matching 1916 brick and iron buildings, fish in one and produce in the other.
• The fish counters - the Olhão fleet's landings, sold by weight and gutted to order.
• The Saturday market - stalls spreading along the quay outside the halls.
• The town - a working fishing port rather than a resort.

When to go

Year-round. One to two hours. Mornings, and early - the fish hall is best before ten. Saturday is the biggest day. Closed Sundays.

Honest expectations

Wet floors and strong smells in the fish hall. Closes by early afternoon and all day Sunday. Almost nothing is aimed at visitors and English is limited. Buying fish only helps if you have a kitchen.

Nearby

The Ria Formosa islands are reached by boat from the quay; Faro is west.